Rhythm Pigs – An American Activity E.P. 7″

Classic release from another underrated and awesome original US HC band. Their Chocke On This LP and this their first 7inch blows shit like Youth Of Today out of the water.

Rhythm Pigs don’t sound like a clone. They sound like themself and that was what I liked so much about the early HC. Togheter with Capitol Of Punishment I saw Rhythm Pigs live in Copenhagen in 1987. 50 people in there and they rocked the house. From the raging HC in Baal to the hook laden Radio Silence you can’t go wrong with this.

41 Responses to Rhythm Pigs – An American Activity E.P. 7″

I actually posted this one a long time ago but was never very happy with the way the mp3s sounded since it came from a vinyl to cassette copy. It will be great to have some good sounding versions. Both of their LPs after this 7″ are collected on one CD that I think is still being produced.

I guess 1000 copies (that’s what my collector-instinct tells me). Any other guesses?

A brilliant record – way better than the follow-ups, thinks me. Indeed a miracle and another perfect example for rock’n ‘roll injustice that this babe hasn’t gotten more recognition yet. Posts like this may help though. Makes one melanchholically contemplate about the days when you could just order records from bands directly after you had read the newest MRR or FLIPSIDE and 2 or 3 weeks later you’d haveone more pearl on your turntable. And nobody had the slightest idea about how things would change …….

Roger that Eric. Or for example when a distributor down in Texas wanted 50 copies of our old bans first release and I asked if it was ok to pick out records from their catalog to trade with. They said ok. And I start looking hmm Koro 8 songs on that 7inch have to be good. And here’s Rebel Truth 7inch lot’s of songs on that one too. And here’s a band called Mecht Mench cool! Ok have to have one. I still remember the day when that big package arrived and I sat down to listen to all the stuff. I knew it’s going to be good so it was no suprise. That’s how it was back then he he ahhhh nostalgia.

And I remember very well when I got that RAPED TEENAGERS 7″ from Per (Protes Bengt) and how it made me flip around in my room (and it still does. You should allow somebody to post a guest-entry oon RAPED TEENAGERS here)! And our bands, my unknown friend, even nearly played together at the same festival in 87 in Thalwil, Switzerland. Now if that ain’t a sign!

Ha ha ha what the fuck :D! Hmm I knew we where supposed to get down to Switzerland but our van was in such a bad shape so we couldn’t make it. But I can’t remember what bans that where supposed to play at the festival. I knew I was pissed cause there where some bands I wanted to see.

I meet Per Thunell from time to time nowadays. So may I say hello from you? Erich and more?

Yeah, say Per hello from me (Erich the megawimp from Fear Of God), and if you happen to run into the singer of ROVSVETT (forget his name) and CRUDE S.S.’ guitarist, please do the same. Will think of some more of my old pen pals from Sweden, if you need something to do this summer ….

7 inch punk posted that Raped Teenagers EP right after I took the time to rip it for my website. I was bummed, its hard for us English only speaking lot to read those song titles and it would have been nice to not have to do it. Great record though. By the way, this Rhythm Pigs sounds a lot better than the one I put up.

Thanks for the Rovsvett site!
And now you inspired me to make a wish: Please write something about the 2nd best swedish 7″ ever – DODEN! I sold my copy for a very good price some years ago, but ever regret it. The 7″ cover of theirs could easily compare to the artistic quality of yours, haha. And the music, welll, the music – the b-side was so beyond. Per once translated some to me when we met 20 years ago and he couldn’t believe his ears …..

A bit off topic, I know, but that’s what I’m tending to be after a good bottle of Merlot.

Yeah the Doden 7inch. Long time since I listened to it. I never bought it back in the days. But remeber how sick and hilarious it was. Don’t know if Packe aka the TV Eye // Drummer is sitting on a copy of it.

Maybe one day we will be able to digitize wine ….. Until then, I’m having one more glas of my favourite summer-wine, it’s Fetzer’s Merlot, 2003. Yeah, it’s a pop-wine, I know, but I really really dig it when it’s hot and you serve it at the correct 17-18 degrees celsius. Cheers, P.!

Got it at home. How can I make it available to you?
By the way, it’s much more in the mid-era Meat Puppets vein than on the hardcore side and not up on pair with Choke On This but still worth it, I guess.

I/We organized a show for them in my town when they toured Europe for the second time – sold out! Great band, great people.

Ah, to recover part of the losses they made in their first European Tour (a nightmare, really), Konkurrel put out a live LP which is pretty good, actually, mixing songs from the Ep and the first Lp plus jams and covers. “I’m Not Crazay, I’m An Airplane”.

Billbo – Didn’t you also do some flyers for them in ’85 or so? I remember seeing them in the UTEP art department – reminded me of Rat Fink on acid (if that’s possible…). Great website, btw – I like your work.

F*cking internet. What one can find in it. Amazing. I remember “Los Pinches Rhythm Pigs”, and I remember Billbo (and some huge punk-dude sculpture he did for an art show at El Paso Comedy College). I remember The Rathskeller off of Mesa, and the SoundSeas Warehouse on Texas Ave, then out in the middle of nowhere (where I with about twenty people came out to see Suicidal Tendencies once). I remember The Pigs opening up for Black Flag, and Tom Trickolli’s Dog being booed offstage. I remember “Rob Reb” and “Red Zone” (big bone!), and I remember Maria Burron and the “Steppin’ Out” radio show. And I remember Ed Ivey eating at Popeye’s once and being real cool to three awestruck poser dorks who wanted to say “Hi” to him.

Some great memories, RawBrains. The Rathskeller, Sound Seas (I was one of the 20 that showed up for the Suicidal Tendencies show). A lot of great punk bands came through El Paso, usually just stopping off on their way to or from Austin. One of the most memorable gigs (to me, at least) was when the Dead Kennedys played at the Sancho Brother’s Ballroom. They ruined the place! Speaking of the Rhythm Pigs, I was working at the El Paso Surf Club when Ed Ivey (very nice guy) teamed up with Mike Nosenzo (he was the head cook at the ‘Club) and Johnny Thunders of Teenage Popeye to form Piggy Bank, a VERY good cover band. Mike, of course, would tell me to STFU and stop living in the past…

Walking down a residential street in a Boston suburb in 2005 I found a giant box of LPs marked “Free- Roomie Moved” in front of a house. I took the whole box. Most of it was crap (Eagles, ELO, etc) but the first Rhythm Pigs album was in there and was practically untouched. I have cranked that thing so many times and love it, this is even better! Thanks.

IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MUCH YOU THINK YOU KNOW PUNK ROCK. THERE ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE GREAT STUFF OUT THERE THAT YOU NEVER EVEN KNEW ABOUT. THIS IS ONE SUCH RECORD. I KNOW THESE TRACKS WILL REALLY GROW ON ME. VERY HIGH QUALITY SONGS — BUT NOT A HIGH QUALITY RECORDING ALAS (IMEAN THE ORIGINAL STUDIO, NOT THE RIP). IF ONLY THEY HAD KNOWN MARTIN HANNETT!
MANY THANKS.

Billbo here….the guy mentioned above! I STILL have that sculpture in the shed behind my house…once when the house got broken into the cops went searching the backyard and freaked when they saw these huge booted feet sticking out of the shed….
then seeing the bulging eyed statue the cop for a split second thought it was a person…
or so he said….hehehehe…love the first ep…whoever did the cover was a %$#$^%$ing genius! hheheheheh (I did the cover…) every song is tight fast and rockin…cant pick a favorite track…love em all…having been friends with the Piggies since they were C.I.A.
I love all their records…..they were truly an amazingly talented, musically diverse rocking band….personally I think the sound on the original ep is clear crisp and well
mixed…not all the tracks on their later recordings were as well produced….some great songs didnt get the representation they deserved sometimes…but then i heard all the songs live often as they were introduced!….I wish i had more than one of the very first R.P. shirts i did wayyyy back when…I have one left somewhere….i went down town and bought used pajama and tuxedo shirts etc and printed the pigs logo on them….ahhh those were the days….

I grew up in El Paso and played in a punk band from 90 to 91. Back then Ed Ivy booked a lot of the shows around town.. On the weekends I used to look for him and follow him around the different clubs so that I could hit him up for future gigs… He was a super cool guy.. Glad this EP is here.. I used to have it but lost it somewhere over the years..

I heard about the Rhythm Pigs last year on youtube and went to Itunes and bought Choke on this! I listen to it every freaking day I love it so much. I bought El Paso 2 months ago and I have to say, the Rhythm Pigs have become one of my fav punk bands besides Circle Jerks, Bad Brains, Minutemen, and The Plugz. I’m so happy I was able to find this great band and lot more people should know about them.